In the evening, the old man returned home and looked around, but did not see the little sparrow; he sang, but did not hear the usual echo of the bird; he found fine food and tried to lure back the little sparrow with delicious food. But he found nothing; only his wife kept muttering beside him, muttering, muttering, saying something about eating things in the house, and saying that it depends on whether you still eat... The old man became more and more irritable, and in a fit of anger, He grabbed the nagging old woman with one hand, held the kitchen knife with the other hand, and then cut out the old woman's tongue. "I see how you can talk without a tongue!" the old man shouted, "how can you talk without a tongue!"